


The Mermaid's Voice

by Pokeluv101



Category: Servamp (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - The Little Mermaid Fusion, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 13:38:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20892989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pokeluv101/pseuds/Pokeluv101
Summary: Mahiru is a mermaid and wants to talk with a human. (KuroMahi, Little Mermaid AU)





	The Mermaid's Voice

Mahiru swam through the cove and made ripples in the clear, blue water. He floated on his back and lifted his tail out of the water. The warmth of the sun on his scales was refreshing but he dipped his tail back down after a few moments. He was a mermaid so he couldn’t leave the water for long. He moved into the shade made by a cliff and leaned against a rock.

A light breeze made petals float down from the sky and land in front of him. He looked up and saw a man standing on top of the cliff. Mahiru instinctively sank lower into the water to hide his tail. He had never met a human before but he heard many tales about them. There was a law against interacting with humans because mermaids feared humans would hunt them like fish.

He started to swim away but a basket of flowers dropped into his path. He paused out of curiosity. The ruffled petals were different from the flowers they had underwater. Mahiru cupped one of the delicate flowers in his hands and brought it closer to his face to study it. He held the flower in his palm and sank beneath the water to see if it acted the same underwater.

When he floated back to the surface, Mahiru’s eyes met the human’s. He stiffened for a moment but the man didn’t react to him. He didn’t seem to realize that he was a mermaid because he merely waved to him. They were far enough that he couldn’t see his tail but they were able to talk to each other when he called: “Hey, I dropped my basket. Can you bring it up here? My sister will be angry with me if I lose it.”

“I can’t leave the water. The waves washed away my clothes and I’m not wearing anything at the moment.” Mahiru thought of a lie so he wouldn’t have to leave the water. He was relieved to see that the man believed him. He blushed and turned away from him out of politeness. His reaction made Mahiru giggle softly. “I’ll leave your basket on this rock for you.”

Mahiru collected the flowers that fell out and placed them back into the basket. He set the basket on the rock and placed a few stones around it to keep it from flying away with the ocean’s breeze. He moved into the shadow of the boulder more to hide his tail. Until the man left, he couldn’t swim back into the ocean. He asked the man, “Were you delivering these flowers to someone?”

“My family owns a flower shop. Wrath insists that I should be the one to deliver them. Troublesome. She says it’s because I won’t go outside otherwise.” He walked down the path that lead to the shore beneath the cliff. The man introduced himself, “My name’s Kuro. I’ve never seen you here before. Are you new in town? Most people don’t swim in this cove because the waves are strong.”

“I’m a good swimmer.” Mahiru told him. There was a row of boulders between them and allowed Kuro to cross the cove without swimming. He hopped from rock to rock until he stopped on the one next to Mahiru. He was careful to hide his tail as Kuro came closer to him. “My name is Mahiru and I’m passing through. Well, that was my plan before the sea stole my pants.”

“Do you want to make a trade? I’ll give you my jacket for that basket.” His suggestion was confusing to Mahiru because both things belonged to Kuro. He took off his long jacket and dropped it on the rock. “I can’t tell how tall you are but this jacket should cover you well enough. You’ll turn into a raisin if you wait until night to sneak out of the water.”

“Oh, thank you, Kuro.” Kuro merely shrugged and didn’t make much of the kind gesture. His kindness was different from the humans he often heard about. Mahiru was told that humans were hunters who didn’t care for the land or the sea. He took the jacket and tried to hand it back to him, “You should keep it. I don’t have a way to return it to you.”

“My family owns the only flower shop in this town. You can drop off my jacket there tomorrow.” Kuro said but he saw how Mahiru turned his gaze away from him. He wondered if there was a reason he hesitated. He doubted Mahiru would tell him and prying into the man’s life would be troublesome.

“There is a cave you can change in over there. Only the locals know about it. My siblings and I would explore those caves when were kids. It’s safe but be careful not to stay in the cave too late or else the tide will trap you inside.” Kuro pointed to the cliffside before he stood. A flower fell out of the basket as he straightened and Mahiru caught it in his hand.

“This is a beautiful flower. It’s rare to see a flower this shade of vibrant red. The petals feel like velvet. The stem is stiffer as well.” Mahiru held the flower beneath his nose and breathed in its sweet scent. He twirled the stem between his finger and watched the flower twirl. The way his brown eyes softened captivated Kuro. He placed it back in the basket and asked, “What are they called?”

“Roses. I thought they were a commonly known flower since people would give them their loved ones. They symbolize love. At least, that’s what my brother would go on and on about when he tries to sell these things. I don’t know much about flower meanings.” Kuro admitted. He noticed how Mahiru stared at the other flowers poking over the edge of the basket. He took out another one, “This is a lily.”

“The lilies we have are a different shape.” Mahiru couldn’t tell him that they were from two different worlds so their flowers would be different. “Both smells sweet. Do you have any flowers that grow near the water? I would love to pick some and show them to my friends.”

“You can keep a few of these. I doubt our customers would want damp flowers. I’ll go back to the shop and cut fresh flowers for them.” Kuro picked a few flowers from the basket. He placed them on his jacket before he handed them to Mahiru. “I have to go home before my siblings start to worry about me. Hopefully, I’ll see you later with my jacket. Bye, Mahiru.”

“Goodbye, Kuro.” Mahiru waved to him. He looked down at the flowers he gave him and his smile became bittersweet. He turned back to Kuro and watched him leave. A part of him wanted to see him again but he knew that it was impossible.”

* * *

“The flowers are beautiful. You’ll love them too, Licht.” Mahiru led his friend through the dark caves in the cliffside. He couldn’t bring the flowers back to his home or else someone might discover that he talked to a human. He would be banished from the sea if the authorities found out the truth. So, he hid the flowers in the cave.

Licht was his closest friend so he trusted him to keep his secret. There was a storm outside and the tides were rising so he didn’t think they would meet anyone in the cave. He followed the etching on the walls to where he hid the flowers. Mahiru rose out of the water and pulled himself onto the ledge. As he took the flowers out from behind a rock, Licht sat next to him.

Mahiru touched the shell necklace and began to sing softly. The water and moss began to glow in reaction to his song. He looked down at the flowers on his lap and saw that they wilted from a lack of sunlight. He sang another song with the magic to make them bloom once again. “Have you ever seen a flower like this before, Licht?”

“Of course not. We live in the sea,” He pointed out and Mahiru laughed at his blunt answer. Despite the tone he used, he knew that he must be curious about the flowers as well. Licht took one and held them carefully in each hand. “Colours appear different underwater. Some things shine there and others don’t. I guess it’s the same for land as well.”

“People who live on land are very different from us.” Mahiru agreed. “Oh, he gave me this jacket as well. They wear clothes made of wool. It’s difficult to wear clothes like this underwater because it’ll be soaked in seconds. I would like to return his jacket to him but that’s impossible.”

Suddenly, they heard footsteps and voices behind them. Mahiru didn’t expect anyone to be exploring the caves at night and panicked. He hurriedly tucked the flowers and jacket into a small hole before he dove back into the water with Licht. The magic of his song faded and the water stopped glowing. He held his breath as he prayed the humans would pass by without noticing them.

Mermaids were able to see in the dark better than humans so he peaked his head out of the water. Two shadows came closer to the rocks and shone their torch over the dark water. Licht pulled his friend back before they could see him. “I’m sure that voice was coming from here. They must’ve left already. Damn, I wanted to see if the rumours were true.”

“Hyde, it would be troublesome if we did run into pirates hiding their gold here. Can we go now?” Mahiru recognized Kuro’s voice. He watched his reflection in the water. Kuro pulled on the other man’s arm. “The tide is coming in so we need to leave before the only exit is flooded. The glowing cave and singing is probably someone practising a magic act or something.”

“Aw, that’s boring.” He groaned. He started to leave but then he noticed something in the water. “Is that your jacket, Nii-san? What is it doing in here?”

He held his torch over his jacket that was caught among the rocks. Hyde held onto the rock wall and stretched out his hand to grab his jacket. A wave spilled into the cave and caused Hyde to lose his footing. Kuro jumped forward to save his brother. He caught his hand and he was able to pull him to safety. Unfortunately, Kuro fell into the water.

“Kuro!” Mahiru swam out of his hiding place to help him. Between the strong waves and the darkness, it would be nearly impossible for Kuro to swim to safety. He had to save him. He ignored how Licht called his name and he went to help him.

Kuro struggled to grab anything that would keep him from being pulled out to sea. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold his breath. A warmth engulfed his hand and he was pulled him forward. He thought he saw brown eyes in front of him but he couldn’t be certain. It was difficult to make any sense of what was happening.

Mahiru hugged one arm his waist and pulled away from the dangerous water. With a powerful flap from his tail, he took them to the surface. He broke through the water and dragged Kuro to shore. He wasn’t able to push Kuro’s heavy body onto the shore but Licht helped him. Once he was safely on land again, Mahiru sat next to him. He leaned over him. “Is he breathing?”

“You’re mermaids.” They both stiffened when they heard Hyde’s words of disbelief. Licht cursed and slammed his tail into the water’s surface. The large splash he caused dazed Hyde long enough for Licht to punch him. He fell to the ground with a large thud.

“Hopefully, they’ll wake thinking that this was just a dream. We need to go. Now, Mahiru.” There wasn’t much that could make Licht fearful but the punishment for revealing themselves to humans was steep. He took his arm and tried to pull him away.

“Just give me a minute.” He leaned his head against Kuro’s and felt his breath against his lips. Mahiru started to sing softly and the song filled the cave with warmth. He hoped that it would help Kuro survive. He knew he couldn’t risk staying any longer and swam away with Licht.

* * *

Mahiru sat before the king of the seven seas as he listened to the charges against him. His mind would occasionally drift to Kuro and wonder if he survived. He couldn’t go to the surface to see him though. A day had passed but the royal court had already discovered that he saved a human. A merman had seen them leaving the cave. He also overheard them discussing what happened.

“There is no defense you two can give that will excuse your crime.” The king said in a harsh voice and Mahiru bit his lip. Telling the king that his intention was to save a human would only make the merman angrier. “You will have your pearl taken and be banished to live as a human.”

He gripped his necklace and swallowed lightly. Each mermaid was born with a pearl that held their voice and magic. It would be nearly impossible for a banished mermaid to survive on land. When a guard reached out to take his necklace, Mahiru instinctively hit his hand away. He hanged his head when he saw the king’s glare. “I’m sorry. I will hand over my pearl but only if you spare Licht.”

“Do you truly believe that you have a say in this trial?” He pointed his trident at Mahiru.

“Your majesty, I don’t want Licht to be punished for my crime. He tried to stop me but I was the one who decided to save him. Licht didn’t do anything.” Mahiru pleaded for his friend’s life. He was glad that his friend wasn’t in the room. He could easily picture Licht making a big scene if he heard his next words, “Please, spare my friend and punish me alone.”

“I will not punish him. Hand me your pearl.” The king motioned for one of the guards to take the jewel from him. Mahiru’s fingers shook as he opened the clam and took out the pearl. The moment the pearl left his fingers, he felt like his heart was pulled away from him as well. The king tossed his pearl aside to be carried away by a wave and be lost in the sea. He screamed yet no sound came out though.

“You will never find your pearl again.”

* * *

“Kuro, do you remember when I told you that a pair of mermaids saved us two days ago? You said I was crazy. Well, one of those mermaids is in our shop right now. He’s wearing your jacket too.” Kuro looked up from the garden when his brother raced outside to tell him about their visitor.

Kuro’s brows furrowed, obviously doubtful of his statement. Hyde had to question his own eyes as well. He wanted his brother to confirm that he wasn’t crazy so he grabbed his arm. Kuro followed Hyde to the shop and immediately spotted Mahiru. He stood next the daffodil and twirled one in his hand. The ghost of tears stained his cheeks.

Kuro approached him and asked, “Mahiru, what’s wrong?”

He opened his mouth to respond to him but words failed him. Mahiru frowned and touched his throat. Kuro realized that he couldn’t speak anymore and wondered what happened to him. He seemed fine and happy the last time they met. His eyes appeared lost and there were tears in them. Aside from his jacket, he was naked. “Hyde, can you go get clothes for Mahiru?”

“You know this man?” Kuro nodded and then led Mahiru to his home above the flower shop. As Mahiru sat in a chair, he poured a cup of water for him. He could only imagine what he went through to cause his lonely expression. He held out the water to him but Mahiru didn’t let go of the daffodil. His other siblings flowed into the room and each of them had questions.

“This is Mahiru and I met him on a delivery last weekend. Hyde said that he saved us as well.” He did his best to explain the situation to them. Kuro didn’t know if he should believe Hyde when he said that Mahiru was a mermaid. He reasoned that he did save them but mistook him for a mermaid in the confusion. “He can’t talk so I don’t know why he came here but…”

“Maybe he can write what happened to him.” Lily suggested. If the man saved their siblings, he thought they should return the favour. He didn’t seem like a violent or dangerous person at least. He fished out a piece of paper and a pen from a nearby desk. Mahiru’s eyes narrowed at the strange instruments he placed in front of them. Underwater, they could never have pen or paper.

Cautiously, Mahiru picked up the pen. He touched the tip and ink stained his finger. Mahiru studied the pen before he poked the paper with the pen. He thought to himself,_ It’s like squid ink. Maybe I can make a message in this surface and ask them for help._

Since the land and sea were so different, it was difficult for mermaids to survive after they’ve been banished. Mahiru hoped Kuro would help him become accustom to the strange world he was forced into. He didn’t know if they would understand him when he couldn’t use his voice. Their written languages were different so he drew on the table to communicate.

“Wait, you need to use the paper.” Wrath rushed to stop him from staining the table further. She pushed a piece of paper under his pen and gestured for him to continue. Mahiru’s art skills weren’t the best but he drew a simple house. Then he crossed it out. As the family tried to guess what he wanted to tell them, Mahiru would make wide gestures. Kuro stayed silent and focused on his hands moving over the paper.

“You had a home… but then you lost it?” Mahiru nodded and pointed to Kuro. A smile beamed on Mahiru’s face. It was the first time he had seen him smile since he arrived and the sight made him flustered. Kuro told himself to focus on the situation so they could help Mahiru. “Can you tell me what happened to your home? Is there anyone you can stay with?”

His smile disappeared and he drew a lonely mermaid sitting on rock. Kuro didn’t know why he would draw a mermaid but it was clear that he was alone in the world. He placed a hand on his shoulder, “If you don’t have anyone else to turn to, you can stay here.”

Mahiru wanted to thank him but he couldn’t speak. The only thing he could do is hold out the daffodil to him. Kuro took it and smiled back.

* * *

Mahiru’s body swayed in time with a song only he could hear. He wished he could sing to the flowers before him. The family had taught him that humans had their own techniques they used to tend to plants. He lightly sprinkled water over the sunflower field. He would often help around the shop and their garden in return for his kindness.

He was grateful for everything they taught him and done for him over the past year. There were days he missed the sea but he knew he could never return. He considered himself lucky to have met Kuro. Mahiru set aside the watering can and then touched a water droplet on a flower petal. He thought it was beautiful. He brought the flower closer to his face to smell it.

“I’m going on my deliveries, Mahiru.” At the sound of his name, he looked over his shoulder. Kuro stood behind him with a bouquet in his arms. Seeing him among the sunflowers, he thought of how the flower reminded him of Mahiru. Sunflowers appeared soft and delicate but they stood strong. “Do you want to deliver them with me?”

He nodded eagerly and quickly gathered his things in a bag. Mahiru would carry a notebook and pens with him to communicate with others. He walked to Kuro’s side and his heart raced more with each step closer to him. As he stopped next to him, Kuro held out his hand to him. He didn’t hesitate to place his hands in his and Kuro gently wiped the dirt from his fingers.

After spending so much time together, they no longer needed to exchange words to communicate.

“The house that ordered a bouquet is on the edge of town so I rigged up the wagon. I’m glad that we don’t have to walk so far.” Kuro said and gestured to the wagon. He helped Mahiru onto the seat first and then climbed in after him. He took the reins in his hands but he waited for Mahiru to be comfortable before he drove the wagon forward.

Mahiru balanced his notebook on his knees. Kuro had taught him how to write and they had grown close during his small lessons. After he wrote a sentence, he lightly tapped Kuro’s arm to get his attention. _It’s my turn to make dinner tonight. Is there something you want?_

“Every time I asked for ramen, you said it’s unhealthy and has too much salt.” Kuro pointed out. They drove past the cove they met. He noticed Mahiru staring at the sea and the longing in his eyes squeezed his heart. He wasn’t the type to pry in a person’s life but he asked, “Was your home near here?”

Mahiru nodded but he didn’t know if he could tell him the truth. His hands shook around his pen. After a moment, he wrote: _Kuro, I have something I have to tell you._


End file.
